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Islam Makhachev Promises a 2024 Title Fight Despite Being Troubled With Injury: ‘I Defend My Belt’
Islam Makhachev plans to fight despite concerns about his hand surgery, raising questions about his readiness and health.
Islam Makhachev might need surgery, but he is still hoping to fight. Makhachev, who is the undisputed lightweight king of UFC, had a cracker of a match at UFC 302. Going one-on-one against Dustin Poirier, Makhachev had significant difficulty in dominating the bout. Poirier looked resilient as he took the fight to the champion. ‘Diamond’ was spotted mixing up his striking which resulted in bloodying up Makhachev’s face.
However, just when the result looked like it could go either way, Makhachev’s champion spirits seemed to get ignited. Going into the fifth round, Poirier decided to up the ante with more attacking play. This spelt doom for the ‘Diamond’ as Makhachev caught him in a D’Arce choke that ultimately led him to submit. Well, Makhachev might have managed to win the title fight. But the grueling matchup has done some permanent damage to Islam Makhachev.
Khabib Nurmagomedov’s prodigy, Makhachev recently confirmed that he has sustained a hand injury. After conducting the MRI scans, Makhachev is diagnosed with a partial ligament tear. However, while such an injury would have put any other fighter off the charts, Makhachev seems to remain unfazed. According to an exclusive interview given to ESPN, Islam Makhachev stated that he still wants to fight this year, irrespective of how his hands look.
Makhachev said, “I don’t know, after 10 days or 2 weeks, we will see what the doctor says. Yeah I hope end of the year, I defend my belt.” Well, this was a very strong statement for the ones doubting whether we would see Makhachev in action again today. But while the lightweight champion is all raring to go, doubts over his opponent still remain.
Initially, it was expected that Arman Tsarukyan would be the first choice for lightweight title contender. Unfortunately, while making his entrance at the UFC 300, Tsarukyan got into a fight with one of the fans. This incident was not taken lightly and Tsarukyan was handed a nine-month ban from the UFC. Such news immediately set off the alarm bells.
In the absence of a challenger, Michael Chandler was rumored to have been offered a lightweight title shot. However, Chandler allegedly turned down the opportunity and wanted to concentrate on his fight with Conor McGregor. There was also a third person making a case for himself- Dustin Poirier. He stated that with no challenger decided yet, an immediate rematch can be something that Makhachev can consider.
Thus, the scenario at the top of the lightweight table looks quite clouded. And now, with Makhachev looking to fight through the pain, it will be interesting to know how things pan out in the future.
ALSO READ: Michael Chandler Offered Islam Makhachev Title Fight But Wants Conor McGregor First
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