First of all, I know I'm getting these reactions out a little slowly, which wouldn't be such a big deal if there wasn't another numbered card this weekend. I'm hoping to get this fallout posted probably on Thursday and then another on Khamzat Chimaev also on Thursday. That way I can get previews for Usman/Covington, Rose/Weili, and Gaethje/Chandler out on Friday, with my picks coming out on Saturday morning before the card. This unfortunately came during a week with a lot of assignments, but I'm going to get it all done as fast as possible without compromising what I want to say.
Regardless of any of my personal nonsense, we need to discuss Islam Makhachev because I was right but I was also pretty wrong on this fight. I said Islam would win because he's obviously a great fighter and a tough test for anyone. With Hooker taking the fight on short notice, I felt that was only another reason that Makhachev would be able to find a way to win over his toughest test to date. However, I did think Hooker would be able to push Islam in way that we haven't seen before. That is where I was wrong. I thought Hooker's knees, length, kicks, and all around toughness would allow this fight to go the distance, but Islam said to hell with all of that and locked in a kimura at the 2:25 mark of the first round that forced Hooker to tap. While it is impressive that Makhachev won, it's really the way he won that had many buzzing because it's not impossible or unreasonable to think that this win could have him in line for a lightweight title shot.
I normally talk about what's next for both fighters, but I don't really feel like that's necessary with Hooker. Dan Hooker can fight anyone in the lightweight division and it will be a fight that fans want to see. My guess is that Hooker gets someone in the lower half of the rankings next. A step up from his last win over Nasrat Haqparast, but not someone at the level of Islam Makhachev either. There's really no shortage of options for him either. Tony Ferguson, Rafael Dos Anjos, Gregor Gillespie, and Brad Riddell are options for him that would all be great fights. Given Hooker's issues with getting back to his home in New Zealand, it's hard to say when he will want to fight again and when he would even be available to fight again. Given his timeline uncertainty, I'm not really going to try to predict what he'll do next since we could see all of these fighters booked and compete once before we see Hooker back on the schedule.
So how likely is it that Islam Makhachev actually got himself a title opportunity? I actually think he has a legitimate chance at it. The main obstacle in his way will be the winner of the Justin Gaethje vs Michael Chandler fight this weekend. Given that he had the interim title last year and lost to the great Khabib Nurmagomedov, Justin Gaethje would likely get the title shot ahead of Islam with a win Saturday night. A win by Michael Chandler though creates a much foggier scenario as Chandler fought for the belt in his last fight, a loss to current champion Charles Oliveira. Should Chandler defeat Gaethje and Oliveira successfully defend his title against Dustin Poirier in December (a tall task in itself) that would set up for an Oliveira vs Chandler 2 fight that I don't think would sell all that well as we just saw that match up. This is where Makhachev would slide into what I think is the ideal outcome for his fastest shot at UFC gold. However, I don't think Chandler defeating Gaethje and Poirier defeating Oliveira would make a Chandler vs Poirier fight a no brainer. Chandler will be just 2-1 in the UFC in that case and will be only one fight removed from his first title opportunity. There were a lot of people who weren't happy that Chandler got a title shot in just his second UFC appearance (the first being a knockout victory over the aforementioned Hooker) and I don't think two title shots in his first four fights would go over well at all with the fans or the rest of the roster. I don't think Dana White really cares what the rest of the fighters think, but he most definitely will care what the fans think because we are the ones buying the pay per views. I'm not going to be one of those people who says "If X, Y, and Z happens then I'm not watching" because that's just not true and if Chandler were to earn his way to a second title shot by defeating Gaethje, I would still definitely watch, but I don't think I would feel as into it as I would if he won 2 or 3 fights before getting another opportunity. Should Islam miss out on the next title fight to the Gaethje vs Chandler winner, I think the only other fight for him at this point is the number 3 ranked Beneil Dariush. Dariush hasn't fought since his May victory over Tony Ferguson. This fight would be a clear number one contender fight for the title fight following the Poirier/Oliveira winner fight the Gaethje/Chandler winner.
That was a really long explanation for really only two options. He's either getting the title fight next or Beneil Dariush in my estimation. If I had to pick, I think I would want to see him fight for the title against Dustin Poirier specifically. Poirier lost to Khabib in Khabib's second to last fight, so the story would be compelling. It would continue the story of Poirier trying to overcome losses from his past by trying to defeat Khabib's successor and at the same time it would be the story of Khabib's successor trying to regain the title that he vacated when he walked away from the sport. However, I have no issue with Islam having to go through Dariush first in a fight that I think Islam would be favored to win, but a fight I would love to see regardless.
That's it for this one. What did you guys think of Islam's performance? What do you think he does next? What would you do if it was your decision? What about Dan Hooker? Who do you want to see him do next? Let me know in the comments.
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