After 18 months of unlucky to sit outside the stage because three consecutive matches were canceled, Islam Makhachev was extremely successful with a submission and a completely overwhelming match against Drew Dober at UFC 259.
In Makhachev, we see somewhere the shadow of the champion Khabib Nurmagomedov: both Makhachev and Khabib are martial artists who will break, crush the opponent's spirit by pinning them to the floor, cleaning their physical cleansing before the end of the match by tightening.
“That locking lock, if I do it in the first half, it will be much more difficult, the opponent will struggle, difficult to lock,” Islam Makhachev shared about the triangle lock (Arm triangle) from Half Guard that he used to finish Drew Dober at UFC 259. “
“I used to practice this lock quite a lot in the gym, but at first I didn't think I would use it in the match. I only came up with the idea” or try to do it “when riding on Dober people, and then I kept doing it, that's all.”
At the end of the match, Islam Makhachev said he wanted to fight with Tony Ferguson or Rafael Dos Anjos in the near future. With Rafael Dos Anjos, it is because 2 appointments are still unfinished. With Tony Ferguson, it is partly to “see off Ferguson”, partly because Ferguson still demands to play Khabib.
However, despite confrontation with the two boxers mentioned above, it will not be the last destination of Makhachev.
His goal is to become a champion, replacing the empty throne in the Labib Nurmagomedov's Lightweight. Even when this “shark” weight is torn by famous names like Dustin Poirier, Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler, Charles Oliveira and Justin Gaethje.
“Now, everyone is just talking about Dustin, Conor, Chandler, Justin, Oliveira as candidates for the championship,” Khabib Nurmagomedov predicted on ESPN.
“But by the end of 2021, everything will change. I believe no one will defeat Islam Makhachev. He will dominate this weight.”