Islam Makhachev

Islam Makhachev secured his first title defense as lightweight champion against Alexander Volkanovski via unanimous decision in the main event of UFC 284 from RAC Arena in Perth, Australia.

Nothing about it was easy. Volkanovski put forth a valiant effort and made the champion work for it in a decision that the Australian crowd wasn't too happy about.

The question of what Volkanovski would look like as a lightweight was answered pretty quickly. The featherweight champion showed his power in the opening minutes of the fight backing up Makhachev with heavy punches.

But we also saw that his takedown defense wasn't enough to keep the fight standing the whole time. Makhachev was able to take advantage of Volkanovski's aggression and ended up taking The Great's back and looking for a rear-naked choke for the back half of the round.

Through two rounds, Volkanovski had more success than just about anyone against Makhachev:

Makhachev started to lean more heavily on his wrestling as the fight progressed. However, he didn't put in a ton of damage when he took down his opponent and Volkanovski continued to land meaningful strikes that made the rounds interesting.

He dropped Makhachev in the second half of the final round, finishing the fight in top position and going for the finish.

The win brings some stability to the lightweight division. Since Khabib Nurmagomedov retired in 2020, Charles Oliveira has won the belt, vacated it because he missed weight and ultimately lost his opportunity to reclaim it against Makhachev.

Now, the Dagestani fighter has the opportunity to establish himself as the true king of the division. It started with sending the king of the featherweight division back to 145 pounds.

Volkanovski was attempting to join the club of two-division champions in the UFC's history.

That's a goal that also happens to be on Makhachev's list. He's only notched one title defense, but his coach, Javier Mendez, recently laid out his future plans, and it isn't just limited to being the 155-pound champion.

"So he's going to train, he's going to clear out the division like he wants to do, and then he is going to go for the welterweight title, and whoever that person at that particular time is going to be, I feel he's going to beat," Mendez said in an appearance on Submission Radio (h/t Jesse Holland of MMA Mania).

So far, he's used his strength and wrestling to dominate lightweight opponents. After starting his UFC career 1-1, he has ripped off 12 straight wins. Before beating Volkanovski, he racked up five consecutive finishes.

With wins over Volkanovski and Charles Oliveira in his last two fights, it's hard to envision him not being the favorite against any lightweight looking to take his title.

UFC lightweight champion Islam Makhachev thinks Conor McGregor's next fight could be his last, depending on the result.

Speaking to reporters at UFC 284 media day, Makhachev said McGregor "is going to retire for sure" if he loses to Michael Chandler.

UFC president Dana White announced last week that McGregor and Chandler will be coaches on the upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter, leading to a showdown between the two superstars.

The date and location have not yet been determined for the bout, but it will take place after TUF's season is finished in August.

The Ringer's Ariel Helwani (h/t Ryan Harkness of MMAMania.com) reported the fight will be contested at the 170-pound welterweight limit. McGregor and Chandler have primarily fought in the lightweight division throughout their careers.

McGregor hasn't fought since losing to Dustin Poirier at UFC 264 in January 2021. The Notorious suffered fractures to his tibia and fibula late in the first round, resulting in the ringside doctor stopping the bout.

It was the third loss for McGregor in his last four fights. He had a total of three losses in his first 24 career fights from 2008 to '16.

Makhachev's comments could be a calculated attempt to build toward a fight with McGregor. He is the 155-pound champion, and McGregor is a former lightweight champion.

Khabib Nurmagomedov, a longtime rival of McGregor, was Makhachev's coach for a period of time following his retirement. There would be plenty of storylines to build a main-event fight around if McGregor decides to continue his career after the Chandler bout.

Makhachev is set to defend his title against UFC featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, on Saturday night.

The battle to determine the UFC's best pound-for-pound fighter will go down Feb. 11 when lightweight champion Islam Makhachev defends his belt against featherweight title holder Alexander Volkanovski at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia.

Volkanovski is No. 1 in the UFC's pound-for-pound rankings, while Makhachev is No. 3. Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya, who will defend his belt Saturday against Alex Pereira, sits between the two.

The UFC 284 card also notably includes a middleweight fight between Robert Whittaker and Paulo Costa.

The 31-year-old Makhachev is 23-1 and coming off a second-round submission win over Charles Oliveira via an arm-triangle choke to take the vacant UFC lightweight championship at UFC 280 on Oct. 22. He has won his last 11 matches. Four of his last five victories have come via submission.

The 33-year-old Volkanovski is moving up one weight class to take on Makhachev.

Volkanovski has done all he can in the featherweight division after winning the belt against Max Holloway at UFC 245 in December 2019 and defending the title four times. He is 25-1 with 22 straight wins.

Volkanovski last fought in July, when he beat Holloway via unanimous decision at UFC 276.