Islam Makhachev is currently one of the best grapplers on the UFC roster. He recently proved it against Dustin Poirier at UFC 302. Referee ‘Big’ John McCarthy recently talked about the Dagestani’s admirable quality in a recent episode of his podcast.
John McCarthy recently sat down for a conversation on a recent episode of the Weighing In podcast. During his discussion with co-host Josh “The Punk” Thomson about UFC 302, the legendary referee pointed out what he liked about Islam Makhachev.
Every time he got a takedown he was going after it and this one of the things that I really admire about Islam Makhachev is he doesn’t just take people down and control and sit, he tries to go after submissions, he he tries to do something that’s going to finish the fight. That’s what you’re looking for out of a fighter.
John McCarthy on Weighin In
McCarthy pointed out that the lightweight champion does not just fly for the scorecards. Instead, he goes for the submissions and actually engages in the fight which is the true essence of a fighter. The Dagestani champion proved this point with the fifth-round submission victory at UFC 302 against ‘The Diamond’ marking his third title defense.
Poirier had to fight through multiple takedown attempts, just like Makhachev’s other opponents further highlighting McCarthy’s point. No wonder Makhachev ranks #1 on the men’s pound-for-pound rankings with a 90% take-down defense. Of the sixteen fights, Islam Makhachev has fought in his UFC career, seven have ended by submission. His next likely opponent in the lightweight division could be Arman Tsarukyan.
Arman Tsarukyan is currently the #1 contender for the lightweight title. Tsarukyan had already started the trash talk post-UFC 302, building up their potential showdown.
Arman Tsarukyan thinks Islam Makhachev would be an easy fight (via YouTube)Makhachev recently interacted with the Russian press where he talked about Arman Tsarukyan.
He’s just chatting. He tries to fight but cannot attract attention to himself. He is trying to somehow attract attention to himself with words.
Islam Makhachev in an interview with the Russian media
Makhachev said he had already beaten him once, and it looks like he will have to do it again. The lightweight champion was talking about their previous showdown back in 2019, where Makhachev defeated the Armenian by unanimous decision. Makhachev had already declared that he wanted to fight twice this year so fans may hear the news of another lightweight title defense anytime soon.
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