Islam Makhachev

The successor

Islam Makhachev is the reigning UFC lightweight champion and the most successful inheritor of the Dagestani training system that Khabib Nurmagomedov defined a decade earlier. Born in 1991 in Makhachkala, Dagestan, Makhachev trained alongside Khabib from childhood under coach Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov (Khabib's father) and was identified early as the technical successor to the lightweight champion.

He won the UFC lightweight title in October 2022 by submitting Charles Oliveira at UFC 280 (arm triangle, round 2), and has defended the belt four times: vs Alexander Volkanovski twice (UFC 284 in February 2023, decision; UFC 294 in October 2023, KO via head kick in round 1), vs Dustin Poirier (UFC 302 in June 2024, D'Arce choke in round 5), and vs Arman Tsarukyan (UFC 311 in January 2025, decision in a closer-than-expected bout that became the title-defense of the year). His record stands at 27-1.

The Dagestani system, refined

Makhachev runs the same core system as Khabib — clinch entries, chain wrestling, top-position mauling — but with two notable additions:

• Southpaw striking: Makhachev fights from a southpaw stance (Khabib was orthodox), which changes the entry angles for both his takedowns and his strikes. His left straight, rear high kick, and lead-hand jab are sharper than Khabib's ever were, and the Volkanovski rematch KO came from a textbook southpaw left high kick that landed flush after the orthodox Volkanovski rotated his head into the strike.
• Submission catalog: where Khabib favored the rear-naked choke and the kimura, Makhachev has finished UFC opponents with arm triangles (Oliveira, Drew Dober), D'Arce chokes (Poirier), and an inverted triangle (Davi Ramos). He is the rare lightweight champion who attacks the head-and-arm choke from mounted positions as his default finish.

The wrestling fundamentals are identical to Khabib's: the snap single-leg from clinch range, the body lock to fence walk, the chest-to-chest top control with cross-face. What Makhachev adds is a striking game that lets him win exchanges and rounds without needing the takedown to score.

The Volkanovski fights

The two Volkanovski bouts are the defining matchups of Makhachev's reign. Volkanovski, the reigning featherweight champion, moved up to challenge Makhachev at UFC 284 in February 2023 — the second-ever UFC champ-vs-champ matchup where a featherweight title-holder moved up to challenge the lightweight king. Makhachev won a five-round unanimous decision (48-47 × 3) in a fight that was much closer than projected. Volkanovski's striking game (he stunned Makhachev with a left hook in round 5) and his ability to defend takedowns made the bout the most competitive of Makhachev's career.

The rematch at UFC 294 in October 2023 — taken on twelve days' notice after Charles Oliveira withdrew with a cut — went the opposite direction. Volkanovski looked sluggish from the short notice and Makhachev landed a head kick in round 1 that finished the fight.

The Tsarukyan title defense

The Tsarukyan title defense at UFC 311 in January 2025 was the most stressed-test of Makhachev's reign. Tsarukyan is an Armenian-born, Russia-trained lightweight whose own wrestling background made him the rare contender who could compete with Makhachev in clinch and grappling exchanges. The bout was a five-round chess match where Tsarukyan stuffed multiple takedown attempts in rounds 2 and 3, the only opponent to defend takedowns from Makhachev at that frequency. Makhachev won by unanimous decision (49-46, 48-47, 48-47) but the bout suggested that the lightweight division, finally, had a contender who could test him round-by-round.

The grappling lineage

Makhachev's teammates and training partners include current and former champions across multiple promotions: Khabib (retired UFC lightweight), Magomed Ankalaev (challenged for UFC LHW), Umar Nurmagomedov (UFC bantamweight contender), Khamzat Chimaev (UFC middleweight contender), and a long bench of Dagestani fighters at every UFC weight class. The American Kickboxing Academy and Eagle MMA training camps in San Jose and Dagestan have produced what is, in 2026, the densest concentration of elite wrestling talent in any single MMA system.

The case

Makhachev's case for top-pound-for-pound status rests on three things: the cleanness of the title-fight resume (Oliveira, Volkanovski twice, Poirier, Tsarukyan are all top-tier lightweights or champions in their own weight classes), the technical evolution from his predecessor's template, and the lack of any honest contender who has solved his game. The 2026 challenges in his division — Justin Gaethje, Charles Oliveira (rematch), and the Tsarukyan rematch — will define whether his reign ends as the natural successor era to Khabib or as something even more dominant.