This past weekend, we got the official announcement that the next title fight at 155 lbs will come this October and will feature unofficial champion Charles Oliveira and new challenger Islam Makhachev. Of course, this won't be an official defense for Oliveira since he was stripped of his title before his last fight against Justin Gaethje because of him missing weight. When this fight was announced, there was some conversation on Twitter and things, as most Twitter conversations do, got controversial, so I figured that would make for a good topic for today. It breaks up the formatted posts and this is a topic that I actually like talking about, so everything came together for this one.
For someone who is so unproblematic and doesn't really have much of a public persona, Islam Makhachev is one of the more polarizing figures in the division. I haven't seen too many grounded takes when it comes to him or his game. Some people hate him because they think the Dagestani style of fighting is boring, which is an opinion, you can think anything you want is boring or exciting, so there isn't much to say there. Others don't like him because they think he is skipping the line and doesn't have the resume that makes him deserving of a title shot, which I think there is at least some evidence towards. Others love him because now that Khabib is gone, Islam is the most well known fighter from Dagestan and represents their part of the world, religion, etc. Once it was made official that he would be next for the title shot, a lot of people really went crazy, so I wanted to take a moment to diagnose the situation and figure out exactly what we are looking at.
It didn't take me all that long to come to the conclusion that this was the clear fight to make. The clearest reason to me is that there really is no other direction to go. If you're of the opinion that Islam shouldn't be getting this title shot, then you have to present another option and there really isn't one. Unless you just want to say that Charles should have to wait for another contender to step up, but that isn't fair to him. If Oliveira, as the unofficial champion, wants a fight, then he should be able to get a fight and Islam is the best and, really only, clear option right now. Oliveira has just beaten Justin Gaethje, Dustin Poirier, and Michael Chandler over his last 3 fights. Those are 3 of the top 5, the 4th guy is himself, so the only one remaining is Islam. Alex Volkanovski has been expressing his interest in moving up to 155, but now that he is having thumb surgery, it doesn't seem like he's going to be available any time soon either. The fact that they're talking about a Yair Rodriguez vs Josh Emmett interim belt implies to me that Volk may be done for the rest of the year. Logistically, Islam has to get the title shot because there really is nowhere else to look. Beneil Dariush isn't really even an option as his injury is why his fight with Islam didn't happen. I really haven't even heard much about him other than the fake rumor that he was going to be fighting Dustin Poirier. I hope Beneil is doing ok because I would have thought we would at least started hearing about him by now. The next highest guy is Rafael Fiziev and he just fought a couple of weeks ago. I just don't think there is another option at this point in time. Oh and don't even start with Conor. I know he plays by his own rules, but this would be ridiculous, even for him.
Fighters getting an opportunity because they're just the best available at the right time isn't a new concept in MMA. We see it all the time. Chris Curtis is getting an opportunity this weekend based on that. Korean Zombie got a title shot based on that earlier this year. However, thinking about it purely in that way does diminish what Islam has done in his career. We'll parse his resume in a bit, but it isn't perfect. However, the way that he's won some of these fights really speaks for itself. While I don't think fighting Dan Hooker and Bobby Green on short notice are the types of fights that, in a normal situation, should earn someone a title shot, but the fact that he ran through those fights the way he did was certainly eye opening. He dispatched both of those men in a way that looked almost effortless and that has to count for something. I think people have to also consider popularity when it comes to things like this. The difference here is that Islam's popularity comes from mostly outside of the United States, which American fans don't see. We all know who is popular here and Islam isn't for the most part, but he is a much bigger draw in other markets. I think that is important point to consider in all of this. Regardless, I think the way Islam is dominating his opponents makes up at least some of the difference in the perceived weaknesses in his overall strength of schedule.
As for the negative side, believe me, I get it. I understand that Islam's best win overall is Arman Tsarukyan when Tsarukyan was making his UFC debut on short notice. Beyond that, his best wins are Dan Hooker and Bobby Green, who were both also on short notice. His best win on a normal timeline is probably Drew Dober. That is far from a bullet proof resume. I think what annoys me the most is the rest of the AKA team being so adamant that this fight should have been his a long time ago. I get guys pushing their teammates and wanting the best for them, but give it a rest. No other gym behaves like this. I don't hear Dustin Poirier telling me how much Jorge Masvidal should have gotten his title shot. I don't hear Chris Curtis talking about how Sean Strickland should have gotten a title shot. I haven't had to hear Michael Chandler publicly lobby for Gilbert Burns or Vicente Luque to get a title shot. I don't know why we all have to be subject to Khabib and Daniel Cormier bring up Islam getting a title shot literally every time they do an interview. It has grown incredibly old for me personally and it's just very obnoxious to be frank. I don't know how many times they have to say it before they get tired of talking about it. At a point, it's like "we get it man, we all hear you". They've been calling for Islam to get a title shot ever since he beat Davi Ramos and it just makes them look so blinded. I love Khabib and DC and they're literally 2 of my 10 favorite fighters of all time, but I cringe every time they bring this topic up. It almost takes away from their credibility when they sit there with a straight face and claim Islam should be fighting for a title after beating Thiago Moises. That's just a ridiculous statement to make and there's no other way to look at it. I don't want to harp on it too much, but it really does annoy me to my core.
Ultimately, I think this was the fight to make, even if it isn't the perfect situation. Maybe you would have rather seen Oliveira fight Volkanovski. I can't tell you that you're wrong for feeling that way because it would have been an awesome fight. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Volk is going to be available. I know people wanted Islam to fight Dariush, but he got hurt and it is unclear exactly what his status is at this point. This was the best fight the UFC could make with the circumstances they were dealt and I don't blame them for doing it. Islam is a great fighter and he would have fought for a title at some point. It is just happening sooner than later. Rarely is there the perfect time to make a fight after all of the boxes are checked off and this is just one of those situations. Even without that perfect resume for Islam, I think this is going to be a great fight. The matchup is fun and the clash of styles is going to be interesting to watch. Maybe this is the one way that we get Khabib tempted to come out of retirement if Oliveira wins. This isn't the title fight that I'm going to be absolutely bouncing off the walls for until it happens, but at the same time, it isn't going to be the worst title fight of the year either. It is just sort of a good title fight to me. Just like Aljo vs Dillashaw I guess or Usman vs Leon. It isn't as exciting to me as Oliveira vs Gaethje sounded or Oliveira vs Poirier, but it isn't the lower interest title fights like Shevchenko vs Murphy either.
What do you guys think? Are you excited for the fight? What predictions do you have? Thanks for reading. Leave all thoughts in the comments. Have a good one.
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