Don’t spar with Islam Makhachev.
That’s the narrative surrounding a recent clip shared by Red Corner MMA on X. In the video, which you can see below, the former UFC lightweight world champion was seeing folding one of his training partners with a straight left to the solar plexus.
“The man came to the training camp unprepared and is now suffering,” Makhachev wrote on his Instagram stories.
Islam Makhachev’s return to the Octagon rumored for November
Earlier this year, Makhachev vacated his lightweight title to move up to welterweight, where he’s expected to challenge newly minted 170-pound king, Jack Della Maddalena. No official announcements have been made, though Makhachev’s mentor, Khabib Nurmagomedov, suggests that their anticipated title tilt will headline the UFC’s annual pit stop at Madison Square Garden in November.
Overall, the ‘Dagestani Destroyer’ is an impressive 16-1 inside the Octagon, including highlight-reel finishes against Charles Oliveira, Alexander Volkanovski, Dustin Poirier, and Renato Moicano.
With a resume like that, it should come as no surprise that Makhachev is already trending as a 2-to-1 favorite to defeat Maddalena and join the very short list of two-division UFC champions.
